VW not so much for the “people” after all?-VW not so much for the “people” after all? I’m after a new car. My lease expires in January, and I’m in the process of using the end of quarter sales targets to get a brilliant deal. And yes, I want ‘brilliant’, not just ‘good’. Last weekend we went round 8 car showrooms, on the ... Read more
Summer holidays – Are they over yet?-Summer holidays – Are they over yet? Being a full-time business owner and mum is great. But it takes its toll in the summer. I had a plan to write something about the whole ‘back to school’ period, but then I came across something written by a friend of mine, Sara Southey, which is beautifully ... Read more
Committees are like teenagers….-Committees are like teenagers…. If you’ve dealt with committees before, then this won’t be news to you, but I just felt the need to write this after dealing with several incidents recently made a whole lot worse by committees… A club manager we were helping being told not only NOT to pay for HR advice ... Read more
Throwing £360k away….-Throwing £360k away…. As adults we learn a few “truths” about life: There’s no such thing as a free lunch Too good to be true usually is Your pay always looks less impressive when it hits your bank account But there are also gender specific “truths” that “everyone knows” and that some people are foolish ... Read more
I’m in love…..-I’m in love….. I’ll admit it: I’m in love with Amazon all over again. It’s my default shop for buying stuff, any stuff, because they make it easy to buy and I know that I will get what I have ordered or can get my money back, without any hassle. Not to mention the fact ... Read more
Is ageism alive and kicking?-Is ageism alive and kicking? Research from the Department for Work and Pensions has shown that age discrimination is still a problem in Britain today. The Attitude to Age report showed that one third of those asked said that they had experienced ageism at least once in the last year. I have actually experienced this recently, when helping ... Read more
Pretty, but not switched on.-Pretty but not switched on. I was at a charity boxing match on Saturday night. Not my thing usually, but a friend was getting in the ring to raise money so I thought I’d support him. And I loved it! I have always been against blood sports, but I was shocked by how quickly I ... Read more
137.3 million days “Off sick”-137.3 million days “Off sick” The Office for National Statistics (ONS), has just released its sickness figures for 2016. And they aren’t as bad as you might think. In 2016 approximately 137.3 million working days were lost due to sickness or injury. Which sounds a lot, but is the same as just 4.3 days per ... Read more
If you can’t stay on the fairway, you shouldn’t be playing…..-If you can’t stay on the fairway, you shouldn’t be playing….. You probably saw Rory McIlroy’s less than stellar start at the US Open yesterday, and after his horror show round, he wasn’t making any excuses, admitting that his timing was off and he was a little bit rusty. He also said something else really ... Read more
Pregnancy myths shattered with a rant.-Pregnancy myths shattered with a rant. I got an email from a business coach the other day, and halfway through it, I felt like I’d been slapped. In the middle of a perfectly acceptable rant about poor service, the rant segued into saying how no business owner should ever employ a woman of childbearing age, ... Read more
What’s your handicap?-What’s your handicap? I’ve been solving staff issues for years, and that combined with bringing up two young kids historically hasn’t left me with much time. These days though, with the business going well and the kids more independent, I now have a small amount of time for myself, and in the last 12 months, ... Read more
How the dog throwing up on my camel made me think….-How the dog throwing up on my camel made me think…. I woke up on Saturday morning to the sound of Comet the dog throwing up on the bed. The quickest way to get wide awake and out of bed at 7am on a Saturday! Despite my best efforts to stop him throwing up in ... Read more
Don’t do this…..recruitment-Don’t do this…..recruitment When you recruit new staff, DON’T: Recruit someone you find attractive (apparently most of us do! You are NOT Hugh Hefner!) Accept their word that they can do something – test them Reject them giving one of the protected characteristics as a reason (unlimited £££ tribunal claim) If you know of a ... Read more
What do a pub in Stratford and Mitie have in common?-TUPE problems are like buses. You wait ages for one, and then several arrive at once. (If you don’t know what “TUPE” is, here’s a quick lowdown: TUPE stands for “Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations” and these regs are basically in place to preserve employees’ terms and conditions when a business is transferred to a ... Read more
The Campfire Lady, Stress Release and the Avoidance of Smoke Inhalation-The Campfire Lady, Stress Release and the Avoidance of Smoke Inhalation I used to be Brown Owl. And before that a Rainbow leader and a Guide leader. (Those who know me well are NOT surprised when they hear that!) My favorite bit by miles has always been the campfire. And it turns out that I have ... Read more
Bag Drop-Bag Drop I’ve just got back from Gran Canaria. It was the holiday I’d been looking forward since the kids went back to school in January. But even though the prospect of the holiday was exciting, I wasn’t looking forward to the Easyjet ‘bag drop’ at Gatwick. The bag drop was brought in to save time, but ... Read more
Stress at work is not considered to be a disability.-Stress at work is not considered to be a disability. Case law decisions this year are going really well for employers! Stress at work is not considered to be a disability. Which means if you have any employees who, once you start a disciplinary or redundancy process, go off sick with stress, you no longer ... Read more
“Fake news” re employment law in the media-“Fake news” re-employment law in the media Panto now over, I have time to catch up with my television viewing. And my favorite at the moment is the most recent series of “Cold Feet”. Or at least it was until the end of the series. Let me explain. Karen, who has worked in a publishing ... Read more
Changing ten-year old girls into rats-Changing ten-year old girls into rats I am in a bit of a grump. I feel that I have been conned, shanghaied, yes, even shamelessly lied to, by omission if nothing else. And it’s all because of a pantomime. Both my kids are in the local panto at the Corn Exchange, and I thought I’d ... Read more
Final Written Warning-Employers rejoice – the eternal battlefield of employment law has made a small but significant shift in favour of the employer. And it’s in the area of disciplinaries. Some employees are extremely canny when it comes to the disciplinary procedure. They’ll push and push and push until it seems they can push no more, and ... Read more
